Military  order  of  the  loyal  legion 
of  the  United  States 

A  night  attack  of  cavalry 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

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ilitarn  ffirtcr  of  lljc  tonal  Ccgion  of  ll)c  Mniicb  States 


A  NIGHT  ATTACK  OF  CAVALRY 


By   SIDNEY   DE   KAY,  LATE  U.  S.  V. 


THE  MORTAR  FLOTILLA  AT 
FORTS  JACKSON  AND  ST.  PHILIP 


BY  GEORGE  W.   BROWN,   LATE  U.  S.  N. 


1'KINTKI)    FOR 

THE   COMMANDERY    OK    THK    STATE    OF    NEW    YORK 
l!V    U.    APPLETOM    AND    ro.Mi-ANY 


iftilitarji  ©rbcr  of  lljc  JLojjal  Ccgion  of  tljc  United  States 


A  NIGHT  ATTACK  OF  CAVALRY 


BY   SIDNEY    DE   KAY,  LATE  U.  S.  V. 


THE  MORTAR  FLOTILLA  AT 
FORTS  JACKSON  AND  ST.  PHILIP 

BY   GEORGE  W.   BROWN,   LATE  U.  S.  N. 


PRINTED   FOR 

THE  COMMANDERY    OF    THE    STATE    OF    NEW   YORK 
BY    D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY 

1888 


A    NIGHT   ATTACK    OF    CAVALRY. 

A  Poem  recited  by  SIDNEY  DE  KAY,  late  Brevet-Major  U.  S.  V.,  at  a  Meeting  of 
the  New  York  Commandery,  Loyal  Legion^  April  4,  1888. 

HUSH-SH  !     Soft  the  full  moon's  rays 
^Fall  on  our  ranks  close  pressed, 
Making  our  sabers  laugh  ; 
While  many  a  heart  sinks  low, 
Thinking  of  far-off  homes. 

Ha  !  all  the  firmer  grasp 

Take  we  of  our  good  steeds 
And  of  our  weapons  bright, 
Till  man  and  horse  and  blade 
Tremble — to  get  the  word : 

"  Charge  ! >;     Deep  strike  the  spurs  ; 

Forward  we  dash  in  line, 

Till  with  a  mighty  crash 

Into  their  midst  we  leap, 

Driving  and  crushing  them  ! 
ft 

Hi !  ya  !     See  how  they  drop 

'Neath  our  swift,  gleaming  steel ! 

We  are  not  human  now — 
^  We  are  but  raging  fiends  ; 

We  slash,  and  seek  to  kill 

x^X 

While  any  foeman  stays. 
a 
£  "  Halt !  "     On  our  horses'  manes 

Wiping  our  bloody  swords, 

Stupid  we  gaze  around — 

What  are  those  writhing  forms  ? 

O  God  !  what  have  we  done  ? 


449820 


4  A  NIGHT  ATTACK  OF  CAVALRY. 

Woe  !  woe  !     Where  all  was  still, 

Hear  now  the  anguished  groans 
Of  wretches  maimed  ;  and  there 
Lie,  in  the  bright  moonlight, 
The  dead  ! 


THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA, 

AND    ITS    CONNECTION    WITH    THE    BOMBARDMENT    AND 
CAPTURE   OF    FORTS   JACKSON   AND   ST.   PHILIP. 

A  Paper  read  by  Lieutenant  GEORGE  W.  BROWN,  Late  U.  S.  N.,  at  a  Meeting  of 
the  Commandery,  State  of  New  York,  Military  Order,  Loyal  Legion,  May  2,  1888. 

DURING  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1861,  Commander 
(now  Admiral)  David  D.  Porter  conceived  the  idea  of  using 
sea-coast  mortars  afloat  for  the  reduction  of  forts.  Conse- 
quently, some  twenty  schooners  that  had  been  purchased 
for  light  cruisers  were  fitted  out  with  one  thirteen-inch 
mortar  each,  and  from  two  to  four  guns  broadside.  The 
preparation  of  these  vessels  to  carry  and  use  this  heavy 
piece  of  ordnance  required  very  great  care.  They  were 
filled  in  almost  solid  from  the  ceiling  to  the  deck  with 
heavy  timber,  to  enable  the  deck  to  withstand  the  effects 
of  the  recoil  and  concussion.  The  mortars,  or  "  chowder- 
pots  "  as  they  were  generally  dubbed,  measured  about  four 
feet  across  the  muzzle,  and  say  five  feet  in  length,  and 
weighed  eighteen  thousand  pounds  ;  the  carriage,  of  iron, 
about  ten  thousand  pounds ;  and  the  bed,  or  table,  seven 
thousand  pounds — in  all  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  tons. 
The  vessels  varied  from  one  hundred  and  sixty  to  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons,  and  carried  a  crew  of  about  forty  men 
each. 

The  ship  sailed  from  New  York  for  Key  West  during 
the  month  of  January,  1862.  I  was  the  first  officer  ordered 
to  the  command  of  either  of  these  vessels,  and,  having  my 
choice,  I  selected  one  of  the  smallest — the  Dan  Smith — a 
schooner  built  for  the  fruit-trade,  and  very  fast — in  fact, 
the  best  sailer  of  the  fleet.  The  mortar,  a  vast  chunk  of 


6  THE   MORTAR  FLOTILLA. 

iron  on  a  carriage,  and  that  on  a  "  turn-table  '  mounted  on 
eccentric  rollers,  brought  the  ponderous  weight  high  up 
from  the  deck,  and  was  the  cause  of  no  little  concern  dur- 
ing the  first  gale  of  wind,  which  we  encountered  in  the 
Gulf  a  few  days  after  leaving  New  York.  I  took  notice 
that  no  one  liked  to  pass  to  leeward  of  it  when  the  vessel 
was  lying  over  much ;  in  other  words,  they  always  "  kept 
to  windward." 

Among  the  crew  shipped  in  New  York  was  a  landsman 
from  the  Emerald  Isle  by  the  name  of  Pat  -  — ,  who  had 
served  three  months  in  the  army.  As  Pat  was  not  sailor 
enough  to  "  take  the  wheel,"  and  was  no  use  aloft,  not 
knowing  the  jib  down-haul  from  the  fore-sheet,  his  turn 
at  the  "  lookout "  came  very  often.  One  night,  while  in 
cold  weather,  he  came  on  deck  from  his  warm  hammock, 
and  was  stationed  on  the  weather-bow  to  keep  a  sharp 
lookout.  Just  then  we  shipped  a  heavy  sea  over  the  bow, 
drenching  poor  Pat  to  the  skin.  This  was  not  relished  by 
Pat,  and  he  gave  vent  to  his  displeasure  with — "  O  holy 
Moses !  the  divil  take  me  fri'nds  sure !  Ah !  me  fri'nds 
advised  me  to  go  to  sea  in  the  navy,  and  not  go  in  the  army 
ag'in,  for  a  sailor,  says  they,  always  has  a  house  over  his 
head  ;  but  the  very  divil  was  in  them  when  they  give  me 
that  advice  sure  !  "  I  have  skipped  some  of  the  hard  words 
that  he  said  from  time  to  time  as  he  got  ducked  during  his 
lookout  hour  that  night. 

There  were  some  very  interesting  adventures  during 
the  trip,  but  time  will  not  allow  me  to  relate  them  here ;  I 
will  only  mention  this :  One  afternoon  a  sail  was  sighted. 
I  kept  off  for  her,  and  soon  discovered  that  it  was  a  bark 
heading  nearly  the  same  course  as  ourselves,  and  carrying 
full  sail.  As  I  changed  my  course  to  near  her,  she  changed 
to  avoid  me.  This  at  once  looked  suspicious,  and  we  all 
smelled  prize-money.  The  breeze  that  had  been  mod- 
erate began  to  freshen,  and  the  little  Dan  Smith  cut 
through  the  water  lively ;  a  change  of  wind  brought  the 
stranger  to  windward  to  his  advantage,  and  he  tacked  ship, 
I  after  him,  the  wind  increasing  to  half  a  gale,  yet  I  carried 


THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA.  7 

sail  until  the  water  stood  on  deck  half-way  to  the  hatches 
before  I  reefed.  Squalls  of  rain  during  the  night  would 
obscure  the  stranger,  and  he  would  change  his  course  to 
escape  us.  Thus  all  night  the  chase  continued,  all  hands 
on  deck,  their  palms  itching  to  get  hold  of  the  prize ;  for 
surely  it  must  be  a  blockade-runner,  or  why  this  dodging  ? 
About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  overhauled  her, 
and,  very  much  to  our  surprise  and  disgust,  she  proved  to 
be  the  Snap-Dragon,  from  New  York,  loaded  with  quarter- 
masters' stores  for  Tortugas.  Her  captain  had  thought 
our  little  rakish  schooner  was  a  rebel  privateer,  and  had 
used  his  best  efforts  to  escape  capture.  Of  course,  both 
felt  tired  and  mad,  as  we  had  run  fully  one  hundred  miles 
out  of  our  course  in  the  chase. 

The  fleet  rendezvoused  at  Key  West,  and  thence  to 
Ship  Island.  While  waiting  for  Farragut's  fleet,  the  mortar- 
schooners  were  ordered  by  turns  to  make  short  cruises 
along  the  Gulf-coast.  One  morning,  while  we  were  cruis- 
ing off  Mobile,  a  steamer  was  sighted  heading  off  shore, 
and  we  gave  chase.  The  breeze  was  just  what  we  wanted 
for  all  sail,  and  we  soon  found  that  we  were  gaining  on  the 
steamer.  I  shifted  one  of  my  twelve-pound  rifles  forward, 
and  opened  fire  on  her.  As  good  luck  would  have  it,  we 
landed  a  shell  on  her  deck-load  of  cotton,  for  this  was,  in 
truth,  a  blockade-runner.  She  began  throwing  cotton  over- 
board, to  lighten  ship  to  escape  us,  as  we  were  gaining  fast ; 
again  the  palms  itched,  and  Jack  began  to  calculate  what 
his  share  might  be,  when,  "  O  fickle  Fortune  !  "  the  wind 
dropped  like  a  wet  blanket,  and  our  "  prize  "  hoisted  the 
"  Stars  and  Bars  "  and  steamed  away.  We,  however,  low- 
ered our  boats  and  picked  up  a  deck-load  of  cotton,  and 
returned  to  Ship  Island.  The  boys  made  about  three 
months'  wages  out  of  this  capture. 

Shortly  afterward  we  sailed  for  and  entered  the  Missis- 
sippi, preparatory  to  the  attack  on  Forts  Jackson  and  St. 
Philip.  A  little  incident,  which  proved  of  great  value, 
happened  while  waiting  at  the  Southwest  Pass  for  orders 
to  proceed  up  the  river.  My  vessel  was  alone ;  others 


8  THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA. 

either  had  not  arrived  or  had  already  gone  up  the  river. 
When  we  left  New  York,  as  a  precaution,  we  were  ordered 
under  no  circumstances  to  cast  loose  the  mortar  or  fire  it 
at  sea,  as,  if  by  any  accident  it  got  adrift  with  any  motion 
on,  it  would  endanger  the  vessel  being  capsized.  In  port 
we  had  exercised  the  crews  in  the  manual,  but  not  one 
of  the  mortars  had  been  fired,  and  we  were  going  into 
action,  as  I  thought,  "  blind." 

Considering  my  "  sea-orders "  over,  and  as  I  was  the 
senior  officer  present  —  which  every  naval  officer  im- 
proves to  command  somebody — I  thought  1  would  assume 
command  (of  myself)  and  try  the  mortar  in  earnest ;  so 
we  went  through  all  the  preparations  for  action;  loaded 
the  mortar  with  a  full-service  charge  of  twenty  pounds  of 
powder,  cut  a  fuse  for  four  thousand  yards,  and,  after  sev 
eral  changes  of  sighting  one  side  and  then  the  other,  I 
gave  the  order  to  fire.  The  crew,  according  to  the 
manual,  had  been  taught  to  "  stand  in  the  rear  of  the  piece 
on  tip-toe,  with  mouth  and  ears  open  "  ;  but,  as  this  was 
real,  and  I  did  not  just  know  what  the  thing  would  do, 
I  ordered  them  farther  away,  while  I,  with  my  officers, 
noted  the  time  of  flight  of  the  shell,  and  the  time  of  sound 
from  the  explosion  of  the  shell ;  after  which  I  took  a  sur- 
vey of  the  deck.  The  mortar  had  recoiled  off  the  turn- 
table back  against  the  side,  driving  the  rear  of  the  car- 
riage into  the  water-ways,  and  listing  the  vessel  about  ten 
degrees.  The  concussion  had  taken  nearly  every  door  off 
the  hinges,  the  arms-chest  and  round-houses  collapsed,  and 
other  slight  damage.  Pat  was  the  first  to  call  attention. 
He  stood  fixed  with  his  hands  upon  his  hips,  looking  at 
the  mortar-carriage  stuck  in  the  water-way.  "  O  howly 
Jasus,  and  wouldant  I  have  been  in  the  hell  of  a  fix,  if  I  had 
stayed  where  they  tould  me  ?  Sure  me  legs  would  have 
been  gone  entirely!"  Such  really  would  have  been  the 
case.  For  my  discovery  I  was  rewarded  with  a  "  day  off," 
and  breechings  were  ordered  to  be  fitted  on  the  mortars 
of  all  the  vessels.  This  heretofore  had  been  deemed  un- 
necessary. 


THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA.  9 

The  commander  of  our  division,  in  closing  his  report, 
alludes  to  this  as  follows :  "  I  have  only  to  add  that,  as  the 
vessels  and  mortars  are  now  fitted,  the  preparation  for  ac- 
tion and  the  service  of  the  mortars  made  beforehand  were 
ample,  and  did  not  require  to  be  altered  in  the  least  during 
the  bombardment,  nor  have  any  suggestions  from  the  seven 
days'  actual  service  been  made  in  the  way  of  improvement, 
except,  as  a  precaution,  the  breeching  around  the  turn- 
table." The  shells  weighed  216  pounds,  contained  n 
pounds  of  powder,  and,  with  the  service-charge  of  20 
pounds,  fired  at  an  angle  of  45°,  the  range  was  4,200  yards. 
The  mortars  are  generally  fired  at  an  angle  of  45°,  so  the 
charge  is  regulated  by  the  distance  of  the  object.  One 
pound  of  powder  will  carry  a  thirteen-inch  mortar-shell  300 
yards.  The  flight  of  a  mortar-shell,  being  on  a  curved  line, 
is  3,000  yards  in  twenty-five  seconds  ;  4,000  yards  in  twenty- 
nine  seconds ;  4,200  yards  in  thirty  and  a  half  seconds.  The 
sound  from  the  exploding  shell  will  return  at  about  1,100 
feet  per  second.  A  cannon-shot,  being  on  a  straight  line, 
will  go  1,000  yards  in  three  seconds,  and  2,000  yards  in 
seven  seconds.  The  vessels  were  prepared  for  action  by 
sending  down  topmasts,  unbending  part  of  their  sails,  and 
coming  up  with  fore-rigging,  etc.  On  the  morning  of  the 
1 8th  we  were  all  anchored  about  five  or  six  miles  below 
the  forts.  The  steamers  belonging  to  the  "  mortar  flotilla" 
were  ordered  to  tow  us  into  position.  At  ten  o'clock  the 
first  were  taken  into  position  and  immediately  opened  fire. 

The  officers  in  command  of  the  steamers  were  not  accus- 
tomed to  the  towing  business,  and  made  very  slow  work 
of  it,  so  that  some  of  us  were  left  lying  at  anchor,  while 
the  others  were  blazing  away  at  the  forts.  About  noon  I 
signaled  for  permission  to  "  sail  into  action,"  which  was 
granted,  and  I  at  once  got  under  way,  and  with  jib  and 
mainsail,  having  a  fair  wind,  ran  up  and  took  my  position 
at  the  head  of  the  third  division,  and  opened  fire.  Just 
previous  to  reaching  the  position  where  ordered  to  anchor, 
a  shell  from  Fort  Jackson  passed  between  our  masts  and 
struck  the  water  close  to  us.  Our  Emerald  friend  again 


IO  THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA. 

afforded  much  amusement  to  the  crew  by  jumping  behind 
the  mortar,  and  when  ridiculed  for  his  dodging  gave  this 
very  good  -reason:  "Sure  that  baste  is  better  able  to  take 
it  than  what  I  am."  I  have  seen  the  time  that  I  would  like 
to  have  had  just  such  a  "  baste  "  to  get  behind  ;  but  I  al- 
ways found  it  took  more  courage  to  dodge  than  to  stand 
and  take  my  chance.  The  vessels  were  anchored  near  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  a  hawser  run  ashore  from  the  bow, 
and  a  spring-line  from  the  quarter,  and,  thus  moored  at  an 
angle  with  the  bank,  their  hulls  were  covered  from  the 
enemy  by  the  trees  and  bushes.  The  old  order  of  things 
was  changed  during  this  action  :  the  captain  had  to  go 
aloft,  while  Jack  stayed  below. 

When  we  began  firing,  I  took  my  position  at  the  main 
mast-head,  where  1  could  see  the  forts  and  trace  the  flight 
of  our  shells,  and  did  the  sighting  of  the  mortar  at  an  ele- 
vation of  about  seventy  feet  above  it.  Different  methods 
were  adopted  for  this  purpose  on  the  various  vessels.  It 
was  thought,  before  we  commenced,  that  we  could  use  a  com- 
pass, and  from  the  mast-head  give  the  course  to  fire  ;  but 
the  concussion  unhung  the  compass-cards,  so  that  was  aban- 
doned, and  we,  as  was  often  the  case,  were  left  to  our  own 
resources.  I  adopted  parallel  bars,  taking  two  pieces  of 
scantling.  The  upper  one  I  had  on  the  cross-trees  ;  the 
other  suspended  from  and  parallel  to  that  near  the  deck, 
weighted  so  as  to  keep  it  steady.  I  sighted  and  pointed 
the  upper  one  for  the  fort ;  the  officer  in  charge  on  deck 
sighted  the  mortar  by  the  lower  one.  When  the  mortar 
was  fired,  the  little  vessel  would  settle  down  in  the  water 
nearly  a  foot,  careen  over  a  streak  or  two,  and  shoot  astern, 
bringing  a  heavy  strain  on  the  hawser  and  chain,  and  switch 
us  poor  fellows  at  the  mast-head  round  so  that  at  times  it 
was  a  question  whether  we  would  stay  there,  or,  like  Dave 
Crockett's  coon,  "  come  down."  But  the  switching  of  our 
masts  and  the  chance  of  a  rebel  shell  were  not  our  greatest 
discomfort  upon  this  roost,  for  we  were  between  two  fires. 
Our  vessels  were  moored  close  together,  each  with  her 
head  a  little  off  shore,  so  that  each  fired  over  the  quarter  of 


THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA.  II 

the  one  ahead,  and,  as  they  fired  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  de- 
grees, the  line  of  fire  was  not  far  from  our  positions  at  the 
main  mast-head,  and  I  frequently  felt  the  windage  of  the 
shell  from  the  next  in  line,  and  the  concussion  was  very  se- 
vere upon  us,  even  more  than  from  our  own  ;  and  more  than 
once  I  felt  the  force  of  the  expression,  "  God  save  me  from 
my  friends  !  "  The  commander  of  our  division  in  his  report 
said  :  "  The  masters  commanding  the  different  vessels  of 
the  division  gave  the  direction  of  the  fire  from  the  main- 
mast-head, regulating  the  charges  used  as  required.  They 
kept  their  posts  while  engaged  with  scarce  any  relief,  sub- 
ject not  only  to  the  shock  of  their  own  mortars,  but  also 
from  the  one  in  their  rear."  We  were  kept  under  con- 
stant fire  night  and  day  for  six  long  days.  My  poor 
men  were  so  worn  and  sleepy  that,  when  we  were  firing 
only  every  twenty  minutes,  they  would  drop  on  deck 
and  fall  asleep,  and  the  firing  of  the  mortar  in  our  rear 
would  not  disturb  them,  and  nothing  short  of  a  kick 
would  rouse  them  when  it  came  our  turn  to  fire.  Admi- 
ral Porter,  in  his  report,  said  :  "  Overcome  with  fatigue, 
I  have  seen  the  commanders  and  crews  lying  fast  asleep 
on  deck,  with  a  mortar  on  board  the  vessel  next  to  them 
thundering  away  and  shaking  everything  around  them  like 
an  earthquake." 

To  give  some  idea  of  what  these  twenty  little  vessels 
did  in  the  week's  bombardment,  I  will  give  a  brief  report 
of  the  third  division,  consisting  of  six  vessels.  They  fired 
415,  449,  460,  474,  478,  and  493  shells  respectively,  the  latter 
my  own  vessel,  leading  the  fleet  by  fifteen  shells.  The  to- 
tal fired  was  about  8,100  shells,  weighing  1,728,000  pounds, 
and  expending  250,000  pounds  of  powder.  On  the  second 
day  of  the  bombardment  the  M  J.  Carleton  was  ordered 
from  the  left  bank  of  the  river  to  the  right  and  drop  in  just 
astern  of  my  vessel ;  but,  as  there  happened  to  be  a  little 
more  space,  I  slackened  my  chain  and  hawser  and  let  him 
in  ahead,  he  taking  half  of  my  old  place.  He  had  not  been 
there  one  hour,  when  a  shell  struck  his  vessel,  passing  down 
through  her  magazine  and  sinking  her  in  five  minutes.  But 


449880 


12  THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA. 

for  my  courtesy,  my  vessel  instead  of  the  Carleton  would 
have  been  sunk. 

During  the  bombardment  many  amusing  incidents  oc- 
curred, of  which  but  a  few  can  be  mentioned  here.  Just  as 
one  of  the  mortars  was  being  fired,  a  shell  struck  fair  in  the 
mortar,  and  was  fired  back  far  enough  before  it  exploded  to 
clear  the  vessel,  thereby  doing  no  injury.  Another  mortar 
was  struck  on  the  face  by  a  shell,  which  glanced  off,  doing 
no  harm,  leaving  only  a  small  indentation,  proving  what 
Pat  had  said  in  the  beginning,  that  "  that  baste  was  better 
able  to  take  it  than  he  was."  My  ship's  cook  had  been  to 
the  side  and  drawn  a  bucket  of  water,  which  he  was  taking 
to  the  galley,  when  a  piece  of  shell  (which  I  now  have  at 
home)  struck  his  bucket,  knocking  it,  as  the  printer  would 
say,  "  into  pi,"  yet  nobody  was  hurt. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  the  fleet,  under  Farragut, 
started  to  pass  the  forts  at  about  3.30  o'clock.  This  was  no 
doubt  one  of  the  most  brilliant  sights  of  the  war  The  ves- 
sels, seventeen  in  number,  carrying  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  guns  ;  the  forts,  mounting  one  hundred  guns  of  various 
sizes ;  twenty  thirteen-inch  mortars,  and  the  steamers  of 
the  mortar  flotilla  that  engaged  the  lower  or  water  bat- 
tery, about  thirty  guns — say  three  hundred  heavy  guns, 
with  their  exploding  shells;  the  fire-rafts  sent  down  the 
river  by  the  rebels ;  and,  later  on,  the  blowing  up  of  sev- 
eral rebel  steamers,  combined  in  making  one  of  the  grand- 
est spectacular  scenes  ever  witnessed. 

The  rebels  had  a  chain  across  the  river,  near  the  forts, 
supported  on  hulks.  Farragut  wanted  it  removed,  and 
sent  an  expedition  to  accomplish  this  object ;  in  his  report 
he  said,  "  Commander  Porter,  however,  kept  up  such  a 
tremendous  fire  on  them  from  the  mortars,  that  the  ene- 
my's shot  did  the  gunboats  no  injury,  and  the  cable  was 
separated,  and  their  connections  broken  sufficiently  to  pass 
through  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river." 

Commander  Porter,  in  his  detailed  report  of  the  capt- 
ure of  the  forts,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  adds :  "  It 
would  be  an  interminable  undertaking,  sir,  if  I  were  to 


THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA.  13 

attempt  to  give  a  minute  account  of  all  the  hard  work 
performed  in  the  flotilla,  or  mention  separately  all  the 
meritorious  acts  and  patient  endurance  of  the  command- 
ers and  crews  of  the  mortar-vessels.  All  stuck  to  their 
duty,  like  men  and  Americans  ;  and,  though  some  may 
have  exhibited  more  ingenuity  and  intelligence  than  oth- 
ers, yet  the  performance  of  all  commanded  my  highest 
admiration." 

It  is  not  generally  known,  but  it  is  a  fact,  nevertheless, 
that  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip  were  surrendered  to  the 
mortar  flotilla — article  fourth  of  the  capitulation  being : 
"  On  the  signing  of  these  articles  by  the  contracting  par- 
ties, the  forts  shall  be  formally  taken  possession  of  by  the 
United  States  naval  forces,  composing  the  '  mortar  flo- 
tilla ' ;  the  Confederate  flag  shall  be  lowered,  and  the  flag 
of  the  United  States  hoisted  on  the  flag-staff  of  Forts  Jack- 
son and  St.  Philip." 

It  is  very  proper  to  mention  the  congratulatory  let- 
ter from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Gideon  Welles,  to 
Commander  David  D.  Porter. 

NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  May  10,  1862. 

SIR  :  Your  dispatch  of  April  3Oth,  inclosing  the  articles 
of  capitulation  of  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  which  sur- 
rendered on  the  28th  ultimo,  after  a  bombardment  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  consecutive  hours  by  the  mortar 
flotilla,  has  been  received.  I  have  also  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  the  flags  taken  in  the  two  forts  on  that  occasion, 
including  the  original  one  hoisted  on  Fort  St.  Philip,  when 
the  rebel  forces  declared  the  State  of  Louisiana  to  have  se- 
ceded from  the  Union,  which  have  been  sent  forward  to 
the  department. 

The  important  part  which  you  have  borne  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  mortar  flotilla,  and  the  movement  on  New 
Orleans,  have  identified  your  name  with  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  naval  achievements  on  record,  and  to  your  able 
assistance  with  the  flotilla  is  Flag-Officer  Farragut  much 
indebted  for  the  successful  results  he  has  accomplished. 


14  THE   MORTAR   FLOTILLA. 

To  yourself,  and  the  officers  and  seamen  of  the  mortar 
flotilla,  the  department  extends  its  congratulations. 

I  am,  respectfully,  etc., 

GIDEON  WELLES. 

Commander  DAVID  D.  PORTER, 

Commanding  U.   S.  Mortar  Flotilla,   Gulf  of  Mexico. 

It  was  not  my  privilege  to  witness  the  final  surrender, 
for  on  the  day  succeeding  the  passage  of  the  forts,  the  25th 
of  April,  I  received  orders  to  have  my  "  vessel  ready  for 
sea  in  two  hours "  ;  and  sailed  for  Havana,  carrying  the 
reports  of  the  passage  of  the  forts  by  Farragut's  fleet.  I 
also  took  with  me  the  report  for  "  The  New  York  Times/' 
which  was  the  first  report  published  in  New  York  city.  I 
made  the  remarkably  quick  run  of  four  days  to  Havana, 
and  there  intercepted  the  steamer  Columbia,  and  forwarded 
my  dispatches  to  New  York.  The  Cayuga  arrived  in 
Hampton  Roads  about  the  same  time  that  the  Columbia 
reached  New  York ;  but  the  Bummer  got  in  ahead,  as  he 
did  in  many  cases  in  the  army,  during  the  civil  war. 


'TNTVERSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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bv  letter  and  in  the  circulars  of  the  Commandery. 


286    6 


